CWC-SBS problem and questions

Hi all,

This is my first post here, I just registered a few minutes ago. I found this forum lurking around on another watch forum and am very happy, because this is the place I just needed. Anyway, here's what I got, this will be pretty long, so bear with me please.

I'm an active duty member in the Hungarian Army. I've been using a Luminox as my field watch for the past five years. The time has come to replace this watch, so after a short discussion with like minded individuals and some checking on forums I got a CWC-SBS watch from Neil at Chronomaster, that I use on a black Rhino strap that I got from Eddie at Timefactors. I'm usually tough on watches, use them for parachuting, diving, climbing and all sorts of abusing activities so I wanted something that is able to take it. I'm very pleased with the CWC-SBS. However, after a few days of regular use, something happened. The watch stopped all of a sudden. Since that was the first day that it was exposed to water (no diving, just some surface work), at first I thought that it was leaking. But there were no signs for that. I pulled out the crown, moved the hands a bit and pushed the crown back and the watch started again. It was good for a couple of hours and then it stopped again. I repeated the process and it started again as if nothing had happened. Since then this has been going on constatantly. The next day I thought I'd let it stop and see what happens, so when it stopped I just let it be. After about half an hour it started to work again. Now it stops once or twice every day for a few minutes.I was also suspecting that the battery is low, but this is not the indication of such. Does anyone know what this could be, or experienced similar? Am I the unlucky guy, who's got the one faulty watch in a million?I contacted Neil and he suggested to send the watch back for warranty repair, but right now I can't send it, nor do I want to send it if this is only a small problem the costs me less to have fixed in Hungary then ship it back insured to Great Britain. I would appriciate any help or suggestion.

And a few more questions. This may seem stupid, but since this is my first watch with a day feature I thought I'd ask. I noticed that the day indicator has 14 words, 7 for the days of the week in English and seven others (which I guess are the same but another language, I couldn't recognize) alternating. Can someone tell what it is and how is it supposed to work.

My other question is my only concern also. I found the tritium illumination system disappointing on the watch. I was used to the brightness of the Luminox and expected the CWC to be the same. I read it here, that CWCs are not that bright in general. The dial and the hands seem to be like on normal watches, if I shine a flashlight on them, they are bright, but soon the brightness diminishes and it's hard to read the watch, especially in the early hours after a long time in the dark. Is it the same on all painted tritium dials as opposed to the ones with vials?

Sorry for the long post, I hope I'll get some good answers and suggestions. Thanks!

Tibor

[Jeroen]

I hope you have a long and pleasant stay here....

I don't have all the answers for you but I'll give it a try....

About your watch stopping....

I would suggest to check whether it has something to do with the temperature of the watch..... a not perfect electronical connection (or a micro electro steppenmotor) or a battery connection can get fault due to low temoeratures or sudden change in temperature and even small cogs and axis can seize up due to sudden temperature changes...... and batteries can also deteriorate very quickly in colder circumstances so that the battery voltage might get beneath the desired treshold level.....
(just put it in the fridge for 15 minutes or so...see what happens then )

If you're once used to traser/luminox watches almost everything else will be a dissapointment ( except for the Seiko monsters and the Dreadnought and maybe a few others...) with regard to luminosity...

Tritium should not fade during the night because it's luminance is (same as with the luminox) based on radio activity..... based on the halftime of the compund (or gas with the luminox) it should fade aver so slow over a periode of some 10 years or more ( doesn't luminox/traser guarantee their luminace gastubes for a decade....??)
Luminova and superluminova have to be 'charged' by light ( UV is the best for that... high energy content...) and will fade through the night, slowly losing their stored energy.... but they will be much brighter than tritium in the beginning.....

besides that the amount of luminous compound has also influence on how bright hands and/or dials are....

if your use the search option (on the top of the page) and search for tritium or luminova you will find a lot of additional info on the subject....

like these threads.. (just click on them...)

http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... ht=tritium

http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3128

http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3502

http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2586

Your observations on the date-wheel are correct........ most datewheels have two languages on it ( in europe english/french english/spanish and english/german are the most common).
When the watch ganges over the date and the day (somewhere between 10pm and 2am), the day wheel moves two steps.... thus stepping over the other langage..... if you set the day ( NOT between 10pm and 2 am) to the other language, the days of the week will be displayed in that language....


Hope you'll find out what's wrong with the CWC....

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

8)
Jeroen

Thanks for the welcome and the answers. This clears up a few things. As for the picture, mine looks like the one at the bottom left, hardly visible. What type is that?

Tibor

[Jeroen]

it's a 10 year old Breitling Chronomat.... luminova... virtually unreadable after 15 minutes in the dark.... :(

here's the link to the whole thread...

http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5344


btw did you consider Eddie's PRS-3/4 or PRS-11 next to the CWC...?

( I know I would have.... :wink: )

Jeroen

[adrian]

Hello Tibor, and welcome to the forum. 8)
According to some military watch fans here, the Traser-Luminox has the best lume and you will not find better. The tritium on dial/hands should glow continuously for years and not fade after 15-20 minutes. :?

[Crusader]

Hello Tibor,

and welcome to the forum!

I am afraid I agree with Jeroen. That sounds like a faulty movement, and IMHO only a movement swap will set things right. Once a quartz watch stops, my faith in it stops too, so even if you make it work again, it's not worth the trouble.

Afraid I concur about the lume as well - once Luminox/Traser/H3 and you're spoilt forever ... nothing will be close, at least with reasonably thin hands and markers (which the Orange and Black Monsters do not have). I have one CBC (though with Luminova, not tritium, and that is disappointing, too.